Seven Baronies

Gray

A Gruffy 'woodsman' with long Gray shaggy hair and a medium size scruffy (mostly) grey beard.

Description:

Gray is an aged man of 59 years. He wears a medium beard that is unkempt and dirty gray in color. His hair matches the beard, stopping just short of his shoulders. He wares tattered clothing and hides, that have been re-stitched and patched over multiple times. He is 6’0” and weighs 160lbs. Gray is both lean and muscular. Gray’s eyes are pale green and his face is well worn.

When Gray changes into a werewolf, his fur is dark gray with a light gray main and light gray patches around his mouth and along his chest. Gray’s eyes glow bright yellow while he is in his lycanthrope form.

Bio:

I remember when it all began. It was well over 20 years ago when I was bitten. I was a wealthy merchant on a trade caravan. It was a routine trip bringing goods for Nothhope to the Port town; River’s Edge. It was a two week trip. About six days into the trip, we passed through the King’s Marsh, an old swampland that was rumored to be cursed. I’ve been on this route more times than I could count, and dismissed these rumors as local superstition.

On that night, the moon hung brightly in the sky. We made camp in the marsh. I was a long day and two of our wagons broke down. We made repairs but were too exhausted to go on. I snuck out of camp with Adie. Adie was at that time my mistress. I was married and had a son who was married as well, but I was also foolish and cocky. My wealth made me arrogant and reckless. Adie was a young merchant lady in her early 20s. She was a merchant working for her father.

During our romantic escape, we were started by a blood curdling howl. We were caught off guard, and attacked by a large beast. I was bitten but Adie was killed. The beast was a large biped wolf. The eyes were glowing yellow. The beast radiated an aura of death and evil. While the beast was savagely rending the corps of my lover, I made my escape.

I made my way back to the camp. Bloodied and in a panic, I told my fellow merchant that we need to leave now. But the half drunk merchant’s would not listen. I grabbed my horse just as I heard the beast’s howl again. I left and didn’t look back. None of the other merchant’s made it back to Northhope.

I went back home, but with my claim of a Beast attack, I was disgraced. The authorities were investigating me for the lost merchant’s. About a week later, they remains of the merchant’s were found, near the camp in the swamp. The authorities didn’t have enough to pin me and the maulings were similar to an animal attack. Although I was cleared in the investigations, my survival blacklisted me from the merchant’s guild, but this was not the worst of my problems.

I started using opium. My family was concerned but I didn’t care. The nightmares wouldn’t end and I began to hallucinate. Opium was my only escape. As the next full moon approached, I developed a fever. My wife had me hospitalized. The healers couldn’t do anything for me and had me restrained due to violent outbursts. On the night of my first full moon after the attack, I remember flashes of what seemed to be a dream of tearing through my restraints then mauling and killing the night staff. There were others deaths in this dream as I tore my way through the streets of Northhope.

I awoke the next day naked and covered in blood. I knew then that it was no dream. I knew I killed those people.

I never returned to Northhope. Over the years I made my way to the Whisper Wood and became a man of the wilderness. I have learned to master the beast within, except on the night of a full moon. I have learned to transform into the beast at will and control the beast form. This transformation was always unnatural and painful.

During my time in the Whisper Woods, I have used the beast form to keep the town folk away from the woods. I would occasionally go into town for supplies but my interaction with people all but disappeared. The town folk have dubbed these woods cursed and refused to enter. If a person did enter, they rarely survive, and I have always hunted down and killed those that do. I swore the curse would die with me. I was more than content to die in these woods, until I learned of rumors of a cure.